News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-28
Letter from Oregon.

NeoUs and Citizen:
The first bridge across the Villa
mette, connecting Portland and East
Portland, is open for public traffic.
Many attempts have been made to
bridge the river, but some "moss-
back would always raise the cry of
construction to navigation" and the
courts would grant an injunction
The slow ferries became at last such
a nuisance that the "mossback" was
obliged to yield to public opinion, and
the bridge was built. AS usual it was
built by California parties, there not
being enterprise enough in the State
to construct it with Oregon capital.
1t is fimsy wooden affair, with a
slow swinging draw, and you pay five
cents to walk over it.
The past winter has been a pecu-
liarly disagreeable one; cold rain,
with several weeks of sharp frost in
February. There have been some at
tempts made of late by the real estate
men to start a boom here, but it is
feeble bantling. One would not know
it was in town were it not for reading
the newspapers. We have the "boss*
Governor in the Union. He is a Dem
ocrat with big d, and was the worst
kind of a copperhead during the war,
if there was any choice among the
cOpperheads at that time. In his last
message to the Legislature, Gov.
Pennoyer advocated, among other &C.
centricities, the theory that the acts of
the Legislature are superior to the
courts. That the United States courts
have no right to exist in the State of
Oregon. The difference between our
Governor and his contemporary, jeff.
Davis, is, Jefferson tried to take some
of the States out of the Union, and
our Governor is trying to take the
United States out of Oregon.
There are said to be 10000 tour
lists from the east in California. We
are anxiOusly inquiring why some of
them don't come to Oregon, for we
love tourist with plenty of money.
We have scenery and in summer we
have climate, but the obstinate tour
list will not come. A few @. A. r.
men came last summer, but they Stun
bled over each other at the ticket Of
flee in their eagerness to get away on
the next train. A tourist, even if he
be ever so rich, cannot spend much
money during a stay of five or six
hours. We were puzzled to under
stand why the game was so shy. Some
man who has been East and seen a
first class hotel, suggested that our
taverns were not up to the mark. He
thought that even tourist might OBJ
ject to pay first class prices for fourth
class accommodations. | think he is
right, for a good many went to Ia
coma, where they have a decent hotel,
and stayed week or so.
| think | sad in my last letter that
| would give you the experience of a
friend of mine, Vermonter, who has
been farming in this State for some
years. When last saw him l said
would write his story for the readers
of the News AND CITIZEN. "If you
do" said he, "Pll serve you as | did
my neighbor from Pike County, Mo-"
| have thought the matter over and |
concluded not to relate the story. A
number of men are going to Alaska
this summer. Dana Landon, former
ly of Stowe, VT, now in the employ
of the o. R. & o. Co., is going to
try his fortune there. He is a wide
awake, enterprising young fellow and
will come out ahead if any one does. !
1t is reported that rich placer mines
have been struck on the Yukow river.
The Couer d'Alene mines are turning
out well, but they do not benefit Port
land cent, although this is the nat
ural supply point. The trade of the
money region goes east. DoCToR.